Tha-lah Read Free Page A

Killing an unarmed critter such as that was dishonorable, but then again, he’d none left.
    After stumbling into the empty pod, Groo’lat entered Pra’mm’s coordinates and then prepared for launch. He was bleeding again. All the fighting on his way there had reopened his wound.
    “Activate holo-vid.”
    The recorded confession would exonerate his family and hopefully bring the house of Mal’cious to justice. He wasn’t giving up yet, not until he saw this through.

Chapter Four
     
    Pra’mm Station
     
    Free, she was really free now. This was the beginning of her true destiny. Tha-lah maneuvered the shuttle out of the station’s docking bay. She couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling inside. Her joy was short-lived as the shuttle shook violently, throwing her off the chair. The emergency alarm blared loudly.
    “Warning, an explosion has occurred at the station. We are too close to avoid fragments. Brace for impact.”
    “An explosion?” Tha-lah’s heart raced at the thought of the friends left behind. Were they safe? “AI, open commlink to Mistress Dal’vyaa’s house.”
    “That function cannot be executed at this time.”
    “Explain.
    “The main satellite has been destroyed. I am picking some communications from ships near the area. The station is under attack.”
    “Under attack? By who?” No one was crazy enough to attack a station like Pra’mm.
    “A pack of fifteen Jog’nafans ships are position between the K’luk prison and station.”
    Their sensors picked up two more crafts. Tha-lah couldn’t believe the AI’s report. Two Kreeh-nosh ships were closing in fast. Their target was the prison, but they opened fire on the station as well.
    “Is there anything we can do to help?”
    Pra’mm was vulnerable without their satellites, which left them with short-range weapons only. That meant the enemy had to be at their very door for them to be effective.
    “Negative, we are not equipped with heavy-assault weaponry.”
    “AI, perform a strategic analysis, factoring in all scenarios, and propose the best plan of action.” There had to be something they could do. She wasn’t going to idly stand by, watching her friends die.
    “Analyzing…the best course of action is to conceal ourselves. We can attempt to reach K’luk in a couple hours.”
    “Can we get there safely?” Dozens of ships swarmed the area, trying to get away.
    “They are not under heavy fire. It appears the main targets are the station and prison.”
    “Okay, we’ll wait.” She wasn’t leaving the sector until she was sure her friends were all right.
    How could the Jog’nafan get so close without being detected by the sensor net? Pra’mm had the best detection grid in the galaxies. Their security algorithms were virtually impregnable. Their defenses swift and deadly. Built by the Glaxians, the station was a combination of several technologies—Pendo’rahn, Labonian and K’luk.
    It saddened Tha-lah to think someone had betrayed the Protectorate. One of the first lessons she’d learned upon arriving at Dal’vyaa’s house was everyone had a price. What was the price of duplicity?
    “Sorry to intrude, but I have plotted a course for the planet. I detected a large piece of metal from the station that should mask our signal. I suggest we power down and wait.”
    “Have they spotted us?”
    She couldn’t help the fear that crept into her voice. She’d heard horror stories about the Kreeh-nosh and Jog’nafans. One experimented and consumed their enemies. The other tortured and abused them until they begged for death.
    “No, they’re focusing on the prison while ignoring small ships and the planet.”
    The AI steered the shuttle into a debris field and then powered down. There was nothing left to do but wait.
    Tha-lah woke up hours later a bit disoriented. It took a moment to remember where she was. This was her shuttle, and she’d just left the station when it had come under fire. She sat up with a start. Were her